“We rise by lifting others.”
– Robert Ingersoll
A while back I was organizing my bookshelf (it’s a compliment and concern that that’s my kind of weekend fun :/) and I came across this memory from what seemed like a lifetime ago. It was a keepsake from my stint at Make A Difference, a non-profit organization working towards equitable outcomes for children at risk across India. I had volunteered there for about 3 years, taking charge of various positions from intern to fellow to strategist. As I sat cross-legged on the floor across my shelf, going over the little scribbles from co-MADsters on the back of the card, I don’t know why it brought a smile on my face. Not just because of course I can’t even see my face in the sea of smiles there but also because it was hard to recollect what led me to apply for MAD in the first place.
All I remember was that I had just left my job back then, and I was in that phase of not knowing what I wanted to do. In short, my day routine was getting up just early enough to not get the disappointed look from my parents and while away the time in front of my computer or TV or both. I was in dire need of a purpose when I got a call from one of the fellows at MAD for a recruitment drive. I dragged myself to the event, tried to participate to the best of my abilities, and at the end of it was pretty sure that I couldn’t really come up to their level of compassion. Nonetheless I was recruited and so began one of the experiences that I still cherish to this day.
MAD was like no other non-profit that I had ever experienced. Before MAD NGOs and/or non-profits for me meant nagging bunch of people that were there to trick money from you. You just donated to charity because you wanted to feel good about yourself. I thought it was all about sad brochures and cunning fundraisings. But volunteering at MAD was like getting a master’s in social entrepreneurship. I chose fundraising and looking back, it is partly the reason why I am in the field I am. Day one at MAD wasn’t like taking pamphlets and going to traffic signals to knock on people’s windows or heckle people at mall hallways, looking to convert one donor by hook or crook. We had a month of intense training and knowledge sharing, while we parallelly developed strategies for fundraising through the coming year. MAD made me understand the difference between volunteering for the sake of conscience vs for the sake of community. Don’t do it out of goodwill, do it as a responsibility. The organization was run by youngsters, so the motto wasn’t based on pity but on driving purpose, something that I had much needed.
I started to look forward to weekends. It was my first exposure to a diverse set of young minds, not only in my chapter but across India. I visited an orphanage for the first time, undertook my first ever solo trip outside the comfortable confines of the city and understand the challenges that the underprivileged faced. It was like my word had suddenly expanded and I now knew that social causes needed strategic problem solving, not a pity party. Sadly, I had to eventually move on from the organization because my work took me other places. But that’s the thing – MAD helped me move. It gave me a reason to get off the couch when I was getting too comfortable in it. It is one of the crucial chapters of my life that taught me how to be compassionate and grateful.
I am sharing this not to show ‘what a good human’ I am or as a sponsored post. But because I believe everyone should experience working with a non-profit or NGO at least once. Not because of the impact that you can create but because the kind of impact it creates on you. It doesn’t have to be for high fluted causes like ending poverty or extract 10 hours a week or mean donating in thousands. With all the ease of access and technology, you could choose the cause of your liking and a convenient way to be involved. My teenager cousin put up a live stream fundraiser from his home with his band on YouTube to raise money for WWF. A Gen Z through and through.
There are millions of registered NGOs in India, for education, empowerment, safety, equality, inclusivity, and many other issues that are worth knowing and reckoning for. Find just one…where you can make a difference.
